News briefs and information from Federal agencies and Capitol Hill on government activities, legislation, and grants of interest to the telemedicine, telehealth, and health IT community. Edited by Carolyn Bloch.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

HHS Tracking Innovations

HHS released the solicitation notice “Initiative to Support Innovation Scanning” on December 30th at www.fbo.gov seeking ways to track impending innovations and technology trends as they relate to health IT. The goal is to exchange information between the Office of the National Coordinator for HIT, key subject-matter experts, and HIT innovators and developers.

Today, the HIT industry is developing a range of innovative technological approaches. Some will not succeed while others will succeed modestly, while other innovative changes will have great impact. Futurists see the technology of 2015 being very different from the technology that is available today.

To have the most current information on innovations establishing an exchange will enable ONC and other HHS agencies to have continual updates on the most promising HIT innovations that will support meaningful use and the adoption of HIT. The exchange will enable the systematic identification of HIT innovations in critical care delivery areas where problems are not currently being addressed as well as identify early emerging, breakthrough advances that can shape policy and technology initiatives.

For more information on solicitation (11-233-S0L-00047), email Thomas P. Lawson at Thomas.Lawson@psc.gov or call (301) 443-7081.

On January 3rd, AHRQ released a synopsis on the publically available “Health Care Innovations Exchange II” published in www.fbo.gov originally published in December. The synopsis seeks proposals on how to operate, maintain, and improve the present “AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange” (HCIE) resource which can be found at www.innovations.ahrq.gov.

HCIE is an internet-based repository for healthcare service delivery innovations and related information and showcases tools with publically available information. HCIE is needed to help make strategic decisions and also to promote further innovations in the healthcare system.

The five tasks listed in the synopsis are to develop content, recommend changes, design, develop, test, and operate the Innovations Exchange infrastructure and web site, propose learning and networking opportunities, and manage the project.

The full Solicitation will be released shortly. Individuals interested in responding to the solicitation need to monitor the release of the solicitation information through www.fbo.gov or www.ahrq.hhs.gov.

For more information on the synopsis (AHRQ-11-10006), email Erin Mills at Erin.Mills@ahrq.gov or phone (301) 427-1169.

Key research reports:

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